Gamma-ray Bursts could be a Source of the OMG-Particle

August 21, 2018

Massive explosions in the far-off galaxies could be the reason behind strange cosmic rays.

Vast as the world around us may seem, each bit of our universe is formed by the copious amount of particles. The type and size of these particles change from one object to another. Small particles (neutron, proton, and electron) help shape atoms which join together to form masses around us. Therefore, an entity as small as an atom gives birth to all the things we have around us. A renowned theoretical physicist, Max Planck, referred to that in the following words:

“All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this minute solar system of the atom together.”

Among all the various types of particles, the Oh-My-God (OMG) particle is a peculiar one. The term ‘OMG’ is associated with it because it stunned the researchers at the time of its discovery. The charismatic qualities of this particle make it a one-of-its-kind. It was first detected by a sensitive antenna located at the University of Utah’s Fly Eye Cosmic Ray Detector in 1991. This was researched to be a proton traveling at 0.999 of the speed of light. This fast-paced proton had a kinetic energy of about 3×1020 electron volts (eV). Additionally, it was estimated that its collision energy would be 7.5×1014 eV at the time of impact with an atmospheric particle.

The OMG particle opened new doors for the physicists to explore. It has been verified that less than a hundred OMG particles have been detected so far. These cosmic ray particles are considered super because most of these rays can travel up to 1010 eV.

According to previous studies, it was believed that these particles that were coming from Centaurus A, which is an active galactic core found 16 million light years away from us. The amazing performance of this particle urged the researchers to investigate this peculiar particle. Studies revealed that these ultra-high-energy cosmic rays hit the earth at the rate of once per square km per year. Due to the fact that they don’t disperse into the environment, they are quite dangerous. These so-called rays are actual physical particles, mostly electrons and protons.

The existence of these rays is considered deadly for the homo-sapiens. Due to excessive speeds, they carry extensive amounts of kinetic energy which could be extremely dangerous for the humankind. Moreover, its treacherous act of speeding through the hapless nitrogen and oxygen molecules is also deadly. Furthermore, these particles are electrically charged which results in ionization of our DNA nucleotides. This shreds them apart which leads to cancer and other repetition faults. Having said that, these particles do need help to motivate them to function. This is where the role of the magnetic field comes in.

In order to charge such high velocities, it is important to obtain an extensive quantity of energy and a magnetic field. In order to fulfill these requirements, the researchers looked at where these particles can be generated from. They found that these cosmic rays came from a general direction which cannot be judged because the Milky Way deviates any incoming cosmic rays.

According to a theory, the source of these particles is Seyfert Galaxies, a certain galactic subclass which has active galactic nuclei. Scientists couldn’t find any scientific proof that supports these claims and it was neglected. Another concept arose that the Gamma-ray bursts had a role to play in the generation of these ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. The physics of these bursts offered a possibility as they are explosions forming in distant galaxies. Additionally, they were known as the brightest electromagnetic events to occur in the universe. A famous astronaut described them by saying,

“In general, the objects in the universe that are very high-energy objects, or the processes that are high-energy processes, will radiate more in the short wavelength range towards the gamma rays.”

It is very much possible that the OMG particle has something to do with the black holes, dark matter, or way beyond the Milky Way. The mysterious OMG particles continue to puzzle our researchers even in today’s advanced world and researchers are hoping that all these failures will ultimately lead them to their destination. Talking about this feature of humanity, Claude Bernard who is a famous Historian said,

“Even mistaken hypotheses and theories are of use in leading discoveries. The alchemists founded chemistry by pursuing chimerical problems and theories which are false”.

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